Lexington teen talked about being shot months before he was killed

In June, 16-year-old Ezavion Lindsey tweeted, "Had a dream I got shot." Those words took on an eeriness Monday after Ezavion's half-brother, an 18-year-old former Paul Laurence Dunbar High School basketball player, was charged with reckless homicide in Ezavion's fatal shooting.

Ezavion D. Lindsey

Eric Trigg was charged in connection with the shooting death of his half-brother Ezavion D. Lindsey.

Eric Trigg, charged with reckless homicide in his half-brother's shooting, played for Dunbar in a basketball game in January.
Herald-Leader

Eric Trigg, who graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School this year, played basketball for the Bulldogs. Trigg has been charged with reckless homicide in the fatal shooting of his 16-year-old brother.

Last December, he posted on the social media network, "Blessed to make it this far in life and to still be alive."

Those words took on an eeriness Monday after Ezavion's half-brother, an 18-year-old former Paul Laurence Dunbar High School basketball player, was charged with reckless homicide in Ezavion's fatal shooting.

Eric Lamont Trigg, a 2013 Dunbar graduate, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in a Fayette County courtroom.

Ezavion, a Tates Creek High School junior, died at 7:17 p.m. Sunday at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, according to the Fayette County coroner's office.

"According to the information we have documented, Mr. Trigg's careless and reckless actions led to the unintentional shooting death of the victim," Lexington police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said. "We are not calling it an accident; we are calling it an unintentional shooting."

Roberts would not elaborate on what happened.

Investigators initially received inconsistent stories about how the teen was shot about 6:30 p.m. Sunday at a house on Cashel Court, Roberts said.

At first, several people at the residence told police that Ezavion shot himself, Roberts said. The two young men were visiting a friend, according to the coroner's office.

"Not too long into the investigation," Roberts said, "we discovered that was not the case."

Trigg fired a handgun at Ezavion, according to court documents. Ezavion was shot in the chest, Roberts said.

A doctor who lives nearby performed CPR on the boy, neighbor Anastassia Zikkos said. She said she and her family were unaware of the shooting until emergency crews arrived.

Ezavion played basketball at Tates Creek, had played football for the Lexington Police Activities League and was involved in the Young Life youth group, she said.

His family described him as athletic, intelligent and quick-witted; he mentored his 5-year-old brother and helped his older sister with her homework.

"Ezavion had unconditional love for his brother" Eric, said Wanda Lindsey, Ezavion's grandmother. Although the brothers were close, Ezavion normally didn't hang out with Trigg in some areas of the city, Wanda Lindsey said.

"My grandson was a good kid," she said.

Marty Mills, associate principal at Tates Creek High School, said Monday that Ezavion sometimes used the last name Trigg.

Mills said Ezavion was a member of the junior varsity basketball team, and "it was very natural to see him at many different types of school functions."

"He was a very nice kid. Very energetic, always happy, had lots of friends," Mills said. "He was one of those kids who always had a smile on his face."